The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-06-24
NOW WAVE THE BLOODY SHIRT
CleveIand's Order Provoking the
Old Spirit OF Sectlonalism.

| NOW WAVE IHE BLOODY SHIRT
CleveIand's Order Provoking the
Old Spirit OF SectIonalIsm.
Special to Cincinnati Com. Gazette.
WASHINGTON, June 15.-The dispatch
es the Commercial Gazette. readers will
have laid before them in regard to tn,
surrender of the captured Confederate
flags to the original bearers of them viii
strike them with amazement and indig
nation beyond expression. This infor
nation will illustrate strikingly the rate
we have been going backwards since the
ex-Confederacy came into power. To.
day the Adjutant General of the Army
with the approval and under the direc-
ton of the President of the United
States, directs that every flag captured
by the Union troops during the wal
shall be returned to the men who bore
them, to the States that sent them out
TO be preserved as heirlooms and hon.
ored relics of the endeavors of the South
to destroy the Government and break
up the Union. What will be the next
move in this progress? What is becom.
ing of the rights of the North in this
Government and of Union men? They
are sent to the rear in most cases, and
step by step the control of national af.
fairs has passed into the hands of men
who fought for four long years to destroy
the Nation, until at last, with majority
of the Offices at home and abroad filed
by them, they even demand and are
given the custody of the flags they car
RED as the representative standards OF
treason and rebellion.
We seem to be going somewhere at a
pretty fast pace. Where are we going to
land?
If Great Britain demands the return
of the flags we captured from her in the
war of the Revolution and war of 1872,
will General Drum return them with
the approval of President Cleveland
He seems under the law to have Just as
much right to do so, and in view of this
sort of thing the Mugwumps sit around
and sorrowfully deprecate the "faunt-
|
man at Springfield, Ill.
The flags captured in battle against a
hostile people fighting to break up our
Government are now the possession OF
that Government, and by law the Secre-
tary of War is made their custodian.
Had they been destroyed by fire and
wiped out of existence it would have
been the best use they could, perhaps,
have been put to, considering what un-
expected disposition the Government
now proposes to make of them. To crit
icise the return of these flags to the Solid
South may be denounced as sectional,
and it certainly is waving the bloody
shirt, which is a very reprehensible per-
formance. Still there are some people
who will persist in waving the bloody
shirt just as they persisted in waving the
bloody flag when the Democratic Con-
vention, in 1864, in Chicago, denounced
the war asa failure, and demanded its
immediate cessation.
1t is not presumed that the ext onfed-
eracy meditates another appeal to arms.
They have had enough of that sort of
thing. But the question arises how far
it is advisable to 90 in honoring the de-
feated cause. General Drum, who has
long enjoyed general reputation as a
lunkhead, seems to class the Union and
Confederates on an equality, and thinks,
or pretends to think, that they are emit
tied to equal honor and consideration.
He proposes to return the captured
flags held by the States. Said one of the
leading men and most gallant soldiers OF
Ohio to-day: 81 would like to see Mr..
Cleveland or General Drum returning
to the ex-Confederacy any flags Ohio
captured and holds. They would have
a pleasant little time doing it."
The question may be raised as to how
far It is safe to cater to this reactionary
sentiment that just now appears to have
full sway.
The sentiment is becoming instilled
into the minds of the rising generation
of the South that they were never reb-
els; that there was no rebellion; that
the canse they fought for was good
cause, and that they were defeated and
the cause destroyed by the overwhelm-
ing resources of the North in men and
money. Mr.. Reagan, of Texas, pro.
nounced these sentiments upon the floor
of the House of Representative during
the last Congress.
Whether there may be any real harm
in this astonishing action of the Demo
cratic Mugwump Administration or not
it is certain there have few things hap.
pened in our political history of late
years that will stir up deeper indigna
ton than this.
Said one soldier in a discussion to-
day: 81 was badly wounded at Freder
icksburg-but please don't mention it
l give you the fact in confidence"
THE ORDER CoUNTERMANDED.
WASHINGTON, d. c., June 1.-THE fol
lowing is the text of letter from the
President received by the secretary o
war late yesterday respecting the return
to various states of flags captured during
the late war:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, ID
| c., June 16.-To the Secretary of War
1 have to-day considered with more
care than when the subject was orally
presented to me, the action of your de
partment directing letters to be ad
dressed to the governors of all the
| states, offering to return, if desired, Il
the loyal states, the Union flags capt
ured IN the war of the rebellion by the
confederate forces, and afterwards re
covered by the government troops, an(
| to the confederate states the flags cap
tured by the union forces, all of which
for many years have been packed il
boxes and stored in the cellar and att,
of the war department. am of the
| opinion that the return of these flag
| in the manner thus contemplated is no
authorized or justice as an executive
act.
l request, therefore, that no further
steps be taken in the matter except t.
| examine and inventory of these flag
and adopt proper measures for theil
preservation. Any direction for the fin
al disposition of them should original,
| with Congress. Yours Truly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.
An intimate friend of the Executive
this evening, said that the Presiden
sanctioned the return of the flags with
out giving the subject serious consider
alton and upon representations that the
matter not in any way was governed by
law. The Presidents understandin.
was that flags from time to time had
been returned when applied for, and nc
new or important question was involved
Immediately upon examination of the
law, however, and learning that there
was large number of Confederate flags
involved, and that none of them had
ever been returned, the President i'm.
mediately decided his approval of the
plan had been inconsiderate and mis-.
taken.
The Verdict Unanimous.
w. ID. Suit, Druggist, Bippus, Ind,
testifies: 81 can recommend Electric